THE sheep industry was put on edge yesterday following an announcement by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in London that tests had thrown up a new strain of scrapie, the fatal brain disease of sheep associated with BSE in cattle and, by implication, variant CJD in humans.

However, senior officials with both Defra and the Scottish Executives Environment and Rural Affairs Department were at pains to stress that this discovery is not linked to BSE and that there is no need for concern over food safety.

But what is of major concern is that the fact that the government funded Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in Weybridge, Surrey, has confirmed that 83 "atypical" cases of scrapie have been found over the past three years in 110,000 sheep brains tested. More worrying is the acknowledgement that of those abnormal results, 12 have been found in sheep with the genotype normally associated with the highest resistance to scrapie.

A statement from Defra confirmed that the National Scrapie Plan (NSP), which aims to rid the 37 million-strong UK sheep flock of this disease, will continue in its current form. The UK, with the largest sheep flock in the EU, is ahead of all other member states, with the exception of the Netherlands, in achieving its goal of scrapie-free status by 2010.

Three years ago, the UK government and the devolved administrations drew up a contingency plan that in the event of a proven link between scrapie and BSE virtually every sheep would be slaughtered. That plan proved to be based on a flawed scientific assessment.

The UK is obliged, under direction from the European Commission, to conduct brain tests each year on 10,000 sheep over 18 months of age which are processed in abattoirs, as well as a similar total that die on farms. Results to date have revealed that only 0.3 per cent of these sheep have been infected with scrapie, many devoid of clinical symptoms. However, it has been almost impossible to trace the 83 "atypical" cases back to the farm of origin. This has prompted fears that the EU will insist that the UK puts in place an individual identification scheme for sheep.

This has been resisted by the UK on the grounds that no other member state runs sheep on an extensive regime, such as in the Highlands and on the Welsh mountains where stocking rates are very low. Tagging every lamb at birth and recording maternal details would be all but impossible. A spokesperson for NFU Scotland expressed support for the NSP. "We knew that abnormal cases could be thrown up, given the scale of the testing regime, which promotes the most resistant genotypes. These will not be guaranteed as totally resistant, but they represent the best options for producers."

That is the standard response from the industry, but clearly the prospect of individual ID for every single sheep is one that is not welcome in the short term. "We have a robust system of flock and batch movement. A non-electronic, pen and paper approach to individual ID recording would be totally unworkable," the NFU spokesperson said.

http://business.scotsman.com/agriculture.cfm?id=1403072004

12/10/76AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCILREPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTE ON SCRAPIEOffice NoteCHAIRMAN: PROFESSOR PETER WILDY

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A The Present Position with respect to ScrapieA] The Problem

Scrapie is a natural disease of sheep and goats. It is a slowand inexorably progressive degenerative disorder of the nervous systemand it ia fatal. It is enzootic in the United Kingdom but not in allcountries.

The field problem has been reviewed by a MAFF working group(ARC 35/77). It is difficult to assess the incidence in Britain fora variety of reasons but the disease causes serious financial loss;it is estimated that it cost Swaledale breeders alone $l.7 M duringthe five years 1971-1975. A further inestimable loss arises from theclosure of certain export markets, in particular those of the UnitedStates, to British sheep.

It is clear that scrapie in sheep is important commercially andfor that reason alone effective measures to control it should bedevised as quickly as possible.

Recently the question has again been brought up as to whetherscrapie is transmissible to man. This has followed reports that thedisease has been transmitted to primates. One particularly luridspeculation (Gajdusek 1977) conjectures that the agents of scrapie,kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and transmissible encephalopathy ofmink are varieties of a single "virus". The U.S. Department ofAgriculture concluded that it could "no longer justify or permitscrapie-blood line and scrapie-exposed sheep and goats to be processedfor human or animal food at slaughter or rendering plants" (ARC 84/77)"The problem is emphasised by the finding that some strains of scrapieproduce lesions identical to the once which characterise the humandementias"

Whether true or not. the hypothesis that these agents might betransmissible to man raises two considerations. First, the safetyof laboratory personnel requires prompt attention. Second, actionsuch as the "scorched meat" policy of USDA makes the solution of theacrapie problem urgent if the sheep industry is not to suffergrievously.

Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans and scrapie disease of sheep and goats were transmitted to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) that were exposed to the infectious agents only by their nonforced consumption of known infectious tissues. The asymptomatic incubation period in the one monkey exposed to the virus of kuru was 36 months; that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was 23 and 27 months, respectively; and that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of scrapie was 25 and 32 months, respectively. Careful physical examination of the buccal cavities of all of the monkeys failed to reveal signs or oral lesions. One additional monkey similarly exposed to kuru has remained asymptomatic during the 39 months that it has been under observation.

Adaptation of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent to primates and comparison with Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease: Implications for human health THE findings from Corinne Ida Lasmézas*, [dagger] , Jean-Guy Fournier*, Virginie Nouvel*, Hermann Boe*, Domíníque Marcé*, François Lamoury*, Nicolas Kopp [Dagger ] , Jean-Jacques Hauw§, James Ironside¶, Moira Bruce [||] , Dominique Dormont*, and Jean-Philippe Deslys* et al, that The agent responsible for French iatrogenic growth hormone-linked CJD taken as a control is very different from vCJD but is similar to that found in one case of sporadic CJD and one sheep scrapie isolate;

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/041490898v1

Infected and Source Flocks

As of September 30, 2004, there were 67 scrapie infected and source flocks (figure 3 ). There were a total of 100** new infected and source flocks reported for FY 2004 (figure 4 ). The total infected and source flocks that have been released in FY 2004 are 77 (figure 5 ). The percent of new infected and source flocks cleaned up or on clean up plans was 96%. In addition, as of September 30, 2004, 368 scrapie cases have been confirmed and reported by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in FY 2004, of which 54 were RSSS cases (figure 6 , and figure 7 ). Thirteen cases of scrapie in goats have been reported since 1990 (figure 8 ). One new goat case was reported in FY 2004. New infected flocks, source flocks, and flocks released for FY 2004 are depicted in chart 4 . One new goat case was reported in FY 2004. Approximately 3,058 animals were indemnified comprised of 47% non-registered sheep, 44% registered sheep, 6% non-registered goats and 1% registered goats.

Scrapie: Ovine Slaughter Surveillance (SOSS)

The Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH) released the results of the Phase II: SOSS study http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm/Sheep/sheep.htm. The objective of SOSS was to estimate the national and regional prevalence of scrapie in mature cull ewes. Prior to the SOSS study, the prevalence of scrapie in the United States was estimated to be 0.07 percent (based on information from NAHMS Sheep 96, unpublished data). The SOSS study estimate for the national prevalence in mature ewes is 0.20 percent. The prevalence phase of the SOSS study started April 1, 2002, and continued through March 31, 2003. During this time period, samples were collected from 12,508 mature sheep at 22 slaughter facilities, as well as a major livestock market.

Of the 12,508 sheep tested, 33* were found to be scrapie positive: 27 black face; 3 mottled face; 1* white face; and 2 of unknown face color. Note: The raw prevalence is higher than the weighted prevalence. The difference is the result of weighting each positive based on the number of sheep sampled and the number of sheep killed at each plant.

Regulatory Scrapie Slaughter Surveillance (RSSS)

RSSS started April 1, 2003. It is a targeted slaughter surveillance program which is designed to identify infected flocks for clean-up. Samples have been collected from 34,661 sheep since April 1, 2003, of which results have been reported for 28,677. Samples have been submitted from 42 plants (figure 9 ). The state identified on the tag of sampled animals is shown in figure 10 . There have been 77 NVSL confirmed positive sheep. There have been 54 NVSL confirmed positive cases in FY 2004. Face colors of these positives were 46 black, 6 mottled, and 2 white. The Six Month Rolling Average of Percent Scrapie Positive Black and Mottled Faced Sheep is shown in chart 6 . The number of RSSS samples collected by month**, region and total in FY 2004 are shown in chart 7 .

As of September 30, 2004, 90,322 sheep and goat premises have been assigned identification numbers in the Scrapie National Generic Database. Official eartags have been issued to 64,040 of these premises.

NOTES:*This number was decreased by one case as a result of a clerical error compared to the FY 2003 annual report.**Differences appear between this report and the September 2004 report due to late reporting of RSSS testing and quality review of status data As of May 2004 we are reporting only NVSL confirmed positive cases.

Thought I should let the list know that Dr. Detwiler kindly replied to my question about the delayed 'atypical' TSE testing in the Vermont sheep and tried to explain what caused the delay. If I interpreted it correctly, seems it was the fault of the U.K. ;

Mr. Singeltary. I hope this finds you well. As you are aware I left the USDA last year. I can only update you on the sheep before that time. Contact was established with the UK on doing the bioassay studies. They agreed. However, we were prioritized after their own needs, hence the delay. I am aware that there are now additional labs in Europe running the mouse bioassay strain typing. You will have to contact USDA for further word.

hello Dr. Detwiler, thanks for your kind reply. > However, we were prioritized after their own needs, hence the delay. not sure i understand that? > You will have to contact USDA for further word. already done that, and there answer was; >5/20/04

> >Dear Mr. Singeltary, > >The Western blot tests on these animals were completed in April of this >year. That means that we can begin the mouse inoculations. To get the >results of the Western blot tests, you will need to submit a Freedom of >Information Act request through our FOIA office. The FAX number there is >301-734-5941. > >Have a nice day, > >Jim Rogers >APHIS LPA >

and with my previous attempts for information via the FOIA through this administration (as you are probably very well aware of) they have all been ignored/refused. so any further attempts would be fruitless i am sure. thanks anyway... kindest regards, Terry LAVET22@aol.com wrote: > Mr. Singeltary. snip... end